Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed a request from his South Korean counterpart Wednesday to cut off oil shipments to energy-starved North Korea as a way of punishing the communist state for its latest nuclear test and also forcing it out to the dialogue table.

Russian launched 1-month long drill of artillery and rocketmen in Souther military district: more than 5000 military from Dagestan, North Osetia, Rostov region, Volgograd, Krasnodar and Stavropol' regions, also Armenia and occupied Crimea, Abkazia and South Osetia